Auxiliary Audio Source

[Tsvi]

I have a 99 Intrigue with the standard sound system including a tape deck but no cd player. I was reading on some site that some after-market sound systems have RCA inputs in the back and you can attach a Y cable and plug in an mp3 player or other audio device. I was wondering if my sound system could also do that - as of now I use an FM transmitter for mp3 player, but if this works, it would be a much better solution. any ideas?

[LittleHoov]

your stock system doesnt have RCA inputs. It would be a royal pain to do, I have seen someone wire up an Ipod hookup to a new stock cd player, but it was a pretty complex job.

You can get a good CD player for less than 100 bucks on Ebay, think of the top of the line stuff 2-3 years ago. My cd player was a 300 dollar or so unit a few years back, snagged it for 50 bucks.

Also you could just get a tape adapter that should plug into anything that uses a 3.5mm headphone jack. It would look like a cassette tape with a wire running out of it.

[Tsvi]

I know about the cassette car kit and the truth is its probably better than my FM transmitter - you don't have to worry about reception. I just figured if I could put in my own cable and snake it out to right below the climate controls, it would be a very neat looking set up.

There is the option of putting in my own system, but I don't really use CDs anyway.

Oh well, it was worth a shot. Thanks anyway!

[LittleHoov]

You could still make a decent looking set up with the cassette adapter, snake it behind the trim pieces, or make a hole in the cubby area for the wire to come out. You would just have to keep the adapater in at all times if you wanted to conceal the wiring though.

I have heard that cassette adapters have better quality than some FM modulators. Good thing about the FM modulator is its easy to move from car to car.

[phewop118]

I couldn't bare using a cassette adapter - the sound was only OK and it kept ejecting from the tape deck (not the adapter's problem, but the anti-jam feature on the deck sensed a slight tightening and refused it). So, I bought a PAC audio universal input and a splitter harness to give a CD changer hookup at the back of the radio. The input box has dip switches that can be set to be used with just about any kind of vehicle.

I think I spent ~$150 on all of this, which is more than many aftermarket radios, but I hate the look of a single din unit in a double din slot and I have the bose amplifier which makes aftermarket a pain in the ass.

Anyways, the sound quality is as good as whatever's feeding it (if it's my damned iPhone, the aux input is worthless, cause that thing has horrid sound). However, I do have a slight problem which I sourced to the harness I added, which seems to be a grounding problem, occasionally giving me alternator noise.

And LittleHoov, it is not a complex job. Very simple indeed. Remove trim, pull radio, add harness, connect box, replace radio and trim. I ran the box through the back of the dash and under the center console and ran my aux wire out from under the console.

I think that some companies also make ipod specific adapters for our cars, which allows you to control your ipod from your radio, but without any text abilities.

Just some food for thought for you.

[harmankardon35]

Correct, if your factory head unit had a DIN plug in for a 6 disc changer then they do sell adapters to add Aux input jacks...BUT, this is expensive and after you have spent all that money, lets face it, you still have a crummy factory radio. I paid $250 for my alpine CD player with aux input on the back (i use it with a laptop computer)...it also has full IPOD interface so you can control your ipod through the head unit. you can get headunits with AUX input for under $100 easily. They sound better, look cooler, and have an aux jack!

What littlehoov was thinking was the same thing i was thinking....actually tearing the factory headunit apart and finding the correct point on the circuit board to solider some RCA input jacks. It can be done, but it is very difficult and usually not worth it. I would only do it if I had a new car with a rather kick-ass factory headunit (that was very hard to replace) and I wanted an AUX input...otherwise..no. Go out and pick up a new headunit from a good brand like panasonic,pioneer,alpine,sony,JVC,kenwood etc and an install kit (trim peice) for the dash and a wiring harness. You will thank yourself for the extra sound quality. Many headunits have a 3.5mm mini AUX input right on the front of them just to simply plug the mp3 player into

[harmankardon35]

Originally Posted by phewop118

I think I spent ~$150 on all of this, which is more than many aftermarket radios, but I hate the look of a single din unit in a double din slot and I have the bose amplifier which makes aftermarket a pain in the ass.

Bose system is actually one of the most simple aftermarket installs I have ever done. Usually you have to bypass the amp (wich is confusing and time consuming at best)...but I just powered up the factory bose amp and used it with my aftermarket headunit (provide it a remote turn on and a ground in the harness behind the headunit). Sounds good...Very clear and loud...that is NOT typical for most factory amplifiers being used with aftermarket headunits.Usually you end up with altenator whine,poor sound quality etc... Only downfall is the volume is a bit touchy (much louder than it would be without the amp) Besides, bose factory speakers run at 2 ohms...so if I bypassed the amp I would have to replace all the speakers aswell. So it worked out well!

[LittleHoov]

Yeah I was referring to a person who tore apart the HU on their Bonneville GXP and added an Ipod hookup. A neat job, but not for the faint of heart.